HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (AP) — President Donald Trump touted his power in his second go around in the White House Saturday while rallying in Kentucky to bolster Republican turnout as his party struggles in the midterms, saying, "I can do stuff that is unbelievable.”
Trump, who spoke in the city of Highland Heights to boost Republican candidates including Ed Gallrein for the U.S. House, was riffing on his decision to change how the U.S. government refers to the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
“I don’t think I could have done this in my first term. This is a much more powerful term,” Trump said. “Google wouldn’t have taken my call in the first. Now, they kiss my ass."
“Well, I also changed the name of a lake in Canada to the Lake America," he continued, referring to Lake Ontario.
Trump's self-proclaimed power is set against voter frustration with how he's wielded it, with tariffs and the Iran war driving up prices and more Americans seeing the president looking out for his own interests and not those of the country.
With control of both chambers of Congress on the line, and with it the prospects of Democratic-led investigations of his administration should they win, Trump has put himself at the fore for voters, asking them to “pretend that I’m on the ballot.” But Republicans privately worry that growing disapproval of his administration is a liability.
Trump nominated one of his personal lawyers to serve as attorney general, ordered military strikes on accused drug smuggling boats, is trying to put his name on the Kennedy Center, and has enriched himself and his family while he's been in office.
While meandering through topics onstage in Kentucky, Trump touched on gas prices, saying that the war with Iran was going to end soon — an assertion he's made many times over the course of the nearly eight-month conflict — and that gas prices will drop to lower than previously. The crowd cheered.
Facing the electoral headwinds, Trump is working to paint a portentous picture of Democrats in the final weeks before the midterms. That includes the claim that if his opposing party wins, the U.S. will “have a depression,” and that the Democratic platform includes abolishing the U.S. Senate and U.S. Supreme Court.
Those are not on the Democratic Party's platform. But Trump is trying to lump them in with the Democratic Socialists of America, which have had a few candidates win in this year's primary elections.
Trump also rehashed his dubious promise that if Republicans win the House and the Senate then every adult American would get $5,000. That would most likely cost more than $1 trillion and require congressional approval, while exacerbating the country’s nearly $1.8 trillion annual budget deficit.
Trump added a new, seemingly conditional promise for Kentucky. That if Republicans win, he said, the Department of Defense would invest in revitalizing a drug manufacturing facility in the state.
The president pulled Gallrein on stage, the Republican candidate for the U.S. House district who beat Rep. Thomas Massie in the GOP primary. Massie had aggravated Trump by pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and opposing the Iran war, and the president responded by successfully backing Gallrein in the party's primary.
Massie, however, still has a following for standing on his staunchly conservative principles, even when it meant voting against his own party. When Trump lashed out at Massie as a “jerk” and “loser” and trumpeted Gallrein as a more loyal replacement, the crowd’s response was tepid, with about half the arena clapping at Trump’s barbs and other half silent.
President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Truist Arena, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Highland Heights, Ky. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Truist Arena, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Highland Heights, Ky. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
CLEVELAND (AP) — Jonathan Aranda's single led to two runs in the seventh inning when the ball got by right fielder Chase DeLauter, Nick Martinez pitched 5 1/3 innings for his first postseason win and the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 Saturday night to even the AL Championship Series at 2-2.
Game 5 of the best-of-seven matchup is Sunday in Cleveland before the series shifts back to St. Petersburg, Florida, on Monday. There is no off day for travel after Friday's game was postponed by rain.
“It means a lot because we know that we play well at home in front of our fans. We’ve got a huge game, another swing game tomorrow,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
Cleveland's Travis Bazzana hit his first postseason home run but also had a fielding error at second on a tough night for the Guardians' defense.
The first four hitters in the Rays order — Yandy Díaz, Aranda, Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero — had six of the Rays' 11 hits and drove in six runs after they went 7 for 41 with three RBIs the first three ALCS games.
Aranda had three hits and drove in two runs after going 0 for 10 in the first three games. Diaz had two hits and two RBIs, including a two-run homer in the ninth off Matt Festa, while Simpson and Caminero each drove in a run.
“A lot of really good at-bats. A lot of hard hits,” Cash said. “But overall, just happy that Junior squared some balls up, Aranda came through in a big way for us and then Yandy there at the end with a two-run, add-on homer.”
Pitching on a 46-degree night, Martinez (1-0) allowed one run and two hits in his second career postseason start and 10th appearance. After DeLauter's RBI single put Cleveland up 1-0 in the first, Martinez retired 10 straight at one point before walking Bazzana leading off the fifth.
Tampa Bay took a 2-1 lead in the sixth when Caminero lined a double to the left-field wall off Daniel Espino (0-1), then broke open the game in a three-run seventh.
Richie Palacios and Taylor Walls got aboard on base hits and moved into scoring position on a double steal. After Díaz struck out, Aranda lined a single past a diving Bazzana, who was playing near the grass between first and second, and into right field. Palacios scored and when DeLauter allowed the ball under his glove, Walls came around from second. Aranda went all the way to third and scored on Simpson's sacrifice fly.
“It looked like it may have snaked on him or just skipped by him, took his eye off of it," Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. "A couple unfortunate plays for us tonight that we usually complete and just weren’t able to do it.”
Bazzana homered in the seventh against Ian Seymour and Brayan Rocchio added an RBI single as Cleveland closed to 5-3.
Shawn Armstrong opened and struck out one batter in the first inning before giving way to Foster Griffin.
Cleveland rookie Parker Messick (0-2, 3.09 ERA) will make his fourth start this postseason. He went five innings and was charged with three unearned runs in Tuesday's 3-1 loss in Game 2. Tampa Bay's Drew Rasmussen (1-0, 1.29 ERA) allowed two runs over six innings in Game 1 and struck out seven before the Guardians rallied for a 7-3 victory.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Bryan Baker celebrates their win against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 4 of an American League Championship Series baseball game in Cleveland, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Tampa Bay Rays' Yandy Díaz celebrates a two-run home run against the Cleveland Guardians during the ninth inning in Game 4 of an American League Championship Series baseball game in Cleveland, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Tampa Bay Rays' Yandy Díaz scores past Cleveland Guardians catcher Patrick Bailey during the third inning in Game 4 of an American League Championship Series baseball game in Cleveland, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Cleveland Guardians' Chase DeLauter watches his RBI-single against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning in Game 4 of an American League Championship Series baseball game in Cleveland, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero celebrates a RBI-double against the Cleveland Guardians during the sixth inning in Game 4 of an American League Championship Series baseball game in Cleveland, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Tampa Bay Rays' Jonathan Aranda celebrates after RBI-single as Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez looks on during the seventh inning in Game 4 of an American League Championship Series baseball game in Cleveland, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
